


Juniper

by goodgollyzollie



Category: Elite (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Future, F/F, Friends to Lovers, No Murder AU, Self-Acceptance, Self-Discovery, however you wanna interpret it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 16:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodgollyzollie/pseuds/goodgollyzollie
Summary: Carla sees Polo in a bar, years after last speaking to him, and Lu claims she doesn't want to get involved.*NOTE* if you are reading this on any other platform besides the official AO3 website, know that I did not consent to it being there. Please report wherever you are reading this from and read it on the AO3 website, thank you.





	Juniper

Carla knew better than to believe her night out would be peaceful but she hadn’t expected to see Polo.

He’d been standing across the room with his back to her when she noticed him but it was only a matter of time before he turned around and saw her standing there. It’d been years since she broke up with him, sure, and he was apparently very happily engaged to someone else. Good for him. But they hadn’t had a civil conversation since they ended things. While it made Carla feel a little guilty, she felt no need in the years since to actually rectify that.

But now, seeing him in the same small bar as she was in years later… She wasn’t nearly drunk enough for this. And she was already considerably tipsy.

“Lu,” she called, trying to get her friend’s attention.

Lu blissfully ignored her, chatting up some guy that may have thrown the words “architect” and “aspiring author” around, but Carla lost interest once he started talking about his recent trip to Bangkok. He was the main reason she'd been drinking that night, just to keep herself sane while pretending to listen because there wasn't anything else to do in this bar.

Men in general had been exceedingly boring to her these days. Perhaps it was just residual irritation from Christian though she supposed couldn’t blame it on him forever. That had ended years ago and, however messy that debacle had been, she still dated men after him. Just not for long periods of time. They just were so… unappealing once the novelty wore off.

Maybe that was more about her than Christian.

“Lu,” Carla repeated, reaching for her arm.

“What?” Lu said in a chiding tone, turning around expectantly.

Carla tried to glance over to where Polo was standing, but either Lu didn’t see him or he had moved-- she couldn’t tell by Lu’s expression and wasn’t able to see that side of the room from her current angle. Carla huffed “Bathroom,” and reached for Lu’s arm to drag her away.

"Please excuse us," Carla said sweetly to the guy at the bar, but he waved them off good-naturedly.

Once in the bathroom, Lu yanked her arm away from Carla.

"Someone better have died," she grouched. She turned away from Carla and began to rearrange her hair in the mirror.

"Lu, Polo is here," Carla said.

Lu shrugged. "And?"

Carla sighed. "And we haven't even made up since then. Hell, we haven't spoken since he transferred to that academy in Paris."

Lu rolled her eyes, watching Carla from the mirror. "You're both sensible adults. Figure something out."

Carla started biting her thumb, am annoying habit she'd picked up at university. Sure, they both were chasing success in their own ways, but Polo was a lot _more_ successful, in love and in life. Editor of his own internationally-known magazine, amazing photographer, and in love with a gorgeous French model? She knew appearances were often deceiving but it would be impressive if this one was. He seemed the happiest man on earth.

It wasn’t fair that she had hit a rough patch after they broke up and hadn’t quite gotten out of it since. She didn’t think about it often but now that they were nearly face to face it became glaringly obvious to her. It’s not that she hadn’t done things-- she’d tried many avenues-- but nothing stuck. And now she was in a bar, visiting Lu in the French Riviera, and had nothing to say for herself should they bump into one another. Which would definitely happen at some point.

Lu caught Carla’s eye in the mirror and pouted sympathetically. “I know it’s hard, Carla, but what do you want me to do, huh? Leave the bar? Make up some elaborate lie? There’s nothing I can do about it without ruining both of our evenings here. If you run into him, you run into him.”

“Please,” Carla whined, “you know I have nothing to say for myself. Christian was a disaster and I haven’t made a name for myself doing anything of consequence. I’ll look like a fool in his eyes.”

Lu turned around and crossed her arms. “There are a couple of things to unpack there, but mainly why do you care so much what he thinks? You dumped him when you were sixteen, and you lived life. He did the same. I doubt he’s seriously going to think you’re a failure, and even if he cares so what?”

Carla deflated, and leaned back against the bathroom wall. “I guess you’re right.”

“Carla, listen to me,” Lu leaned in close, and held her face gently, staring into Carla’s eyes softly. It was a stark contrast to the reprimanding tone before. “You did a lot of growth inside you, okay? Just because you have no boyfriend or fiance doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Just because you don’t have a career lined up and ready to go for the next thirty years doesn’t mean you’ve failed. You’re just enjoying the journey.” This gentle eye contact was strange. It puzzled Carla in a stirring sort of way, but she really didn't want to think about it too hard.

Carla blinked, tearing her eyes away from Lu’s, then nodded. “Okay.”

Lu smiled, then pointed at her. “Remember, you control the first move. So just march up to him and say hello before he does.”

And that’s what Carla did, after a shot at the bar and a sidecar for the trip. At first, Polo seemed surprised to see her and they had a pleasant exchange about what they were doing in the French Riviera in the first place. Carla got to meet Polo’s fiance. He was a tall man who knew Spanish better than Carla knew French, which is something that irked her only a bit.

“Carla,” the man, Elias, started, “what do you do for work? Polo has told me your mother is a marquess of wine. Are you as well?”

Carla sipped her drink, thinking furiously. “Ah, no, not quite,” she decided on, “I have tried more creative endeavors. So far nothing particularly satisfactory has presented itself.”

“Ah,” Elias nodded, “Polo has told me of your, ah, particular tastes. It is difficult to choose just one thing when there are many to choose from, no?” He chuckled, and lifted his empty glass to his lips. “ _Oh, vide. Mon cher, et le votre_?”

Polo shook his head, taking a drink from his nearly full glass and glancing nervously at Carla. “ _Je te rattraperai, merc_ i.”

Elias squeezed Polo’s shoulder and nodded at Carla happily before disappearing to the bar. Carla smiled back, then turned to Polo. “And what else have you told him about me, hm? My bra size?”

Polo sighed, wiping a hand on his face. “He was curious about my life before France, so obviously I told him about you and our break up. You were a huge part of my life.”

“And you mine,” Carla hissed, “but I don’t go about slandering you to my significant others, Polo.”

“Elias shouldn’t have said that, I know,” Polo said calmly, “but he knows how much I was hurt. And he knows how much I loved you-- he has a slight tendency towards jealousy so I’m sure there’s some of that as well.”

Carla scoffed. “So is Elias always so kind to your exes or was he saving that just for me?”

Polo shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve introduced him to many. They don’t normally hang out in the same bars as I do.”

“I feel so special,” Carla simpered and took another drink.

His eye twitched. “I know he’s a very direct person, but he didn’t mean any real harm by it. Are you offended?”

Chuckling, Carla shook her head. “Oh, of course not. At least he means what he says. Honesty like that is hard to find in men these days.”

Polo took a deep breath in before asking “With an attitude like that, should I assume you’ve given up hope?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Carla asked sharply.

“Have you given up hope on men?” Polo asked, “Or did guys give up hope on you? Because from what I know, it seems like your life has been pretty uneventful recently. I’m just curious if that was a personal choice.”

Even though it was kind of her fault they were talking about this in the first place, she still hated that they were having this conversation.

“I really don’t see how that’s any business of yours, nor can I see why you would have any right to sound so sure about that assertion.”

Smirking, Polo narrowed his eyes. "I keep in touch with Guzman who, as you know, speaks with Lu somewhat regularly. I suppose I could be a little out of the loop, but I do more or less know how you've been keeping busy. Not very impressive, if I may be candid. You have pretty much nothing to show for yourself in comparison to everyone else."

Carla felt something wither inside of her. In the end Polo was just someone from her past, but once upon a time they had been each other's worlds. So to hear those words coming from the mouth of someone who could have been her soulmate was somewhat crushing.

Instead of letting that show Carla took another sip from her drink nonchalantly, blinking slowly. "I suppose nothing public has happened recently, no," she conceded, turning her gaze to the floor.

"What, darling, are you so embarrassed of me you won't tell even Polo?" An arm wound around Carla’s waist and a breeze of perfume drifted around them. Lu leaned in close to Carla's ear and whispered, "Play along."

Carla forced her shoulders to relax and she smiled warmly at Lu. "Of course not, I just didn't want to parade you around like a fancy toy. That's, ah, tacky."

Polo looked between the two of them bewilderedly. "Wait, I thought--"

"Polo," Lu cut in, "how could you have possibly known? It's not as if you have spoken to either of us." Lu reached to touch Carla's hair. "By the way, Carla, you look absolutely stunning tonight."

Trying to calm the drumming of her heart, Carla laughed. "Thank you, love. As I was saying, Polo," Carla turned her attention back to Polo, who still looked as though he were trying to catch up with what happened, "nothing public. And I'd prefer it to stay that way, if you don't mind."

At this point, while Polo nodded dimly, Elias returned looking jovial. "Ah, who is this? Another past lover of yours?" He asked, gesturing at Lu.

Before Polo could say anything Lu barked out a laugh. "Me? A lover of Polo? Please," Lu shook her head, "I would not say I was ever even a fan."

Elias bristled, but Lu simpered apologetically "Pardon me. That came out entirely wrong. It was just such a ridiculous insinuation I reacted without considering how my words would sound. To answer your question, no, I'm not one of Polo's past lovers. I'm Carla's current lover. And you are…?"

Elias seemed at a loss of words after Lu’s little monologue. “Elias Sauvage,” Carla supplied, “Polo’s fiance.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. You may call me Lucrecia,” Lu said pleasantly. Lu then pulled out her phone and tutted. “Unfortunately, we have meeting with group tomorrow morning about project funding. So we won’t have a chance to get to know each other tonight, Elias, but perhaps another time.”

“Oh--” Elias started, extending his hand.

“I’ll get our coats. I won’t be long,” Lu announced. She ignored Elias’ outstretched palm and grabbed Carla’s face with her fingertips. Before Carla could react, Lu leaned in and pressed her lips to Carla’s forcefully. Carla pressed back, closing her eyes and drinking in the boozy kiss. When breaking apart, there was a flash of something in Lu's eyes that Carla almost caught before she smiled and walked away. Almost.

Once Lu had melted back into the crowd, Polo cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, “congratulations to you. On both Lu and project, whatever that may be.” He paused, seemingly searching for words. “And I’m sorry. For how I’ve acted tonight.”

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of accepting his apology right now. She was feeling a little too spiteful for that.

Instead Carla smiled mysteriously, shrugged, and finished her drink. She was feeling slightly unsteady on her feet now, but tried not to let it show. “We’ll see if it pans out, but thank you. And congrats on your engagement. Seems you’ve made a lovely life for yourself here.”

Polo nodded, smiling softly at Elias. “Perhaps we can meet again under more intentional pretenses. Would you be interested in dinner some night? Our treat, of course.”

Carla opened her mouth to reply-- she didn’t really know how-- but Lu was back and holding their coats. “Ready to go?”

Carla nodded, and took her coat. “We’ll be in touch,” she told Polo as Lu took her hand and led her out of the bar into the crisp night air. Their fingers twined together and Lu’s jasmine perfume wafted behind her in an intoxicating cloud. Had Lu always smelled this good? Was she always this lovely?

Her hair seemed to bounce in slow motion, each curl and wave moving seamlessly. When Lu looked back at Carla, her dark eyes dazzled playfully and her glossy lips teased at a smile, cheeks shimmering with the light of a thousand little stars. Lu was saying something but Carla was focused only on the shapes her lips made. How much had she had to drink that night?

“...Carla?” Carla shook her head, blushing. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

Lu smiled kindly. “I was just asking if you were okay.”

“Oh, yes,” Carla reassured her, pausing before continuing, “what happened to you not wanting to do anything?”

Lu rolled her eyes. “Marc left so I had nothing else to do besides watch you. You don’t hide your emotions well, you know.” Carla raised her eyebrows and slumped against the wall of the bar.

“I find that extremely difficult to believe,” Carla scoffed. “I’ve been told on many occasions that I’m incredibly hard to read.”

“Maybe I just know you better,” Lu murmured, leaning into Carla. Up close, Carla could almost make out the freckles under Lu’s foundation. She could see the tiny scar on her brow. She could smell the sweat under her perfume, though it smelled just as sweet.

“You’re fun when you drink,” Carla crooned, straightening up and reaching to touch Lu’s earring. Lu blinked, and closed the distance between them with a much softer kiss than before. Carla accepted her gratefully, closing her eyes and curling her fingers under Lu’s chin.

They heard the door to the bar open and close as a stumbling couple tottered out but neither seemed to care. In that moment it was just them standing under the warm light of the streetlamp. Just them and the cooling night mist that caught the light and cast it around their intertwined forms, making them a single silhouette against the glow.

“Young love is so beautiful,” one of the tipsy people trilled.

Carla felt Lu smile against her lips and Carla couldn’t help but smile back.

Lu grabbed her waist and pulled her body closer. “When did _you_ become so beautiful?” She asked against her lips.

“I could ask the same for you,” Carla admitted as she twirled a strand of hair so soft it could have been silk around her finger.

Lu kissed her again, sucking lightly on her lower lip. “The entire time you were talking to Polo I could barely stop myself from marching over there and taking you away.”

Frowning slightly, Carla pulled back a hair's width and asked “Why didn’t you?”

Lu pressed her forehead to Carla’s and sighed. “I wanted you to have a chance to try and make up with him alone. I didn’t know Polo’s betrothed would be quite so bitchy.”

“Well,” Carla conceded, “thank you. It did feel good to talk to him, I suppose. I’m glad I didn’t just leave without talking to him.”

Lu nodded. “Of course.”

They stood in the faint glow, heads together and eyes down turned, breathing easily.

Finally, Carla kissed Lu’s cheek gently. “We should get off the street. It’s a bit cold for my liking.”

Lu nodded again, hesitating before kissing her nose. “We’re both too drunk to do anything else big tonight,” she acknowledged, “but can I interest you going back home and watching a movie?”

“That sounds lovely,” Carla agreed.

Lu smiled and the heavens opened up. Rain poured down on them in a sheet. Lu Squeaked and pushed them both out of the downpour as Carla laughed.

They huddled under the bar’s awning while Lu called a car, shoulders touching and fingers hooked together.

Maybe Carla was just very drunk. Maybe she was crazy. But maybe she had finally figured something out.

“Hey, Lu?” Carla lilted.

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad Polo was at the bar tonight.”

Lu smiled, and kissed her tenderly. “I am, too.”

Carla leaned her head on Lu’s shoulder. They could figure everything else out in the morning. For now, Carla felt as though everything in her world was starting to make sense. All she needed was a little push in the right direction.

**Author's Note:**

> well i'm back sooner than expected. time for my usual rambling
> 
> -this fandom needs more wlw energy so allow me to submit Lucarla/Carlu for your consideration (I'm partial to Carlu)
> 
> -i know it's kinda clunky but I just wanted to send it out in the world, don't think about it too much. I spent too much time on the stupid conversation and i didn't want carlu to do sexy/sensual times while they were drunk so this is the best i've got 4 now
> 
> -title is from a instrumental song called Juniper by Philip Daniel and Shawn Williams. I had no idea what to call this fic and was stumped-- until I was editing and decided to find a cello playlist to listen to. This song popped up and I had a vision of them kissing in the mist while this played behind them
> 
> \- me writing about men: "don't describe them so dramatically that's tacky and no one cares about it they just want the story"  
> me writing about women: "lovely...dazzle...intoxicating...shimmering with the light of a thousand little stars...is heavenly too strong of a word to use...i love girls" (cries)
> 
> -I wrote Polo and Carla so immaturely but idk it's how I was feelin it
> 
> that's all folks, until next time i suppose
> 
> give me story ideas @goodgollywrites on tumblr


End file.
